Seward Highway AWRA Spring Field Trip
April 28-29, 2016

Register by April 15. Number of participants:
Minimum of 10 and maximum of 30
All lodging, meals, field trip guidebook and technical reference
costs are included

Note: This field trip is sponsored by the
AWRA - Alaska Section. Please visit their registration
page above to sign up for this trip. Thank you!

Overview:

This 2-day field trip provides an in-depth view of the
landscapes, water resources and development along one of
the most scenic highways and wildest landscapes in North
America. The trip starts in Anchorage where we will travel
by van along the rugged shoreline of Turnagain Arm of Upper
Cook Inlet whose extreme tides are under study for potential
for tidal energy. The route traverses across one of the
northernmost coastal rain forests and through both Chugach
State Park and the Chugach National Forest stopping at various
sites along the way including Portage Valley and Glacier,
Turnagain Pass, Snow River-Kenai Lake, and finally arriving
in Seward along the shores of Resurrection Bay. On the second
day, we will tour the Seward Sea Life Center explore the
efforts for hydropower related project to alter stream temperatures
to improve the productivity of Cooper Creek. The return
trip to Anchorage includes a stop at the Wildlife Conservation
Center located in coastal wetlands, a stop to examine the
use of automated avalanche detection along the Alaska Railroad
and then a close look at mining/ski town of Girdwood. While
in Girdwood, weather permitting, there is opportunity to
take a short flightseeing trip over the magnificent Chugach
Range coastal mountains and view the fjords of Prince William
Sound. The major themes of the tour include water resource
and ecosystem variation along the coastal range, variations
in energy sources, and history of the area.